Information Resources, Inc.

When products fly off the shelves, this company is watching -- and counting. Information Resources (IRI, formerly SymphonyIRI Group) is a market research and shopper intelligence firm, providing sales data for consumer packaged goods gathered from checkout scanners at more than 95,000 retail locations (excluding Wal-Mart, which doesn't release data) in the US and Europe. In addition to checkout scanner data, it gathers information via consumer panels and offers test marketing services. IRI also offers business intelligence software and tools, and it advises customers on key strategies such as strategic pricing, growth and innovation, shopper marketing, and customer and channel management.

Geographic Reach

IRI has operations in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the US.

As the global economy finally turns the corner, IRI is looking to grow both organically and through acquisitions. To assist with this strategy, New Mountain Capital acquired its majority share in the company in mid-2011. Although details of the transaction were not disclosed, the company's former owner, Symphony Technology Group, retained a "significant equity position in the company."